The Founder

Shannon Hill McNamara was born in Basking Ridge, New Jersey in 1993.  She has lived overseas twice, in Dublin, Ireland, and in Auckland, New Zealand.  Since 1999 Shannon has attended school in Basking Ridge and is currently a sophomore at Ridge High School.

Shannon has been a Girl Scout since 1998 and is now a Senior Girl Scout Cadet.  She has received many scouting awards:

• Girl Scout Gold Award – 2008
• Girl Scout Silver Award – 2007
• Girl Scout Bronze Award - 2005

1. “Essence of India” program in Pune, India – Summer 2008
2. “National Scout Jamboree” in Vorbasse, Denmark – Summer 2007
3. Outward Bound Dog Sledding Expedition, Minnesota – Winter 2008

Shannon has been volunteering for as long as she can remember.  Her international volunteer experiences have all centered on children’s literacy:

v  At age 12, Shannon, with her family, spent two weeks in Ayacucho, Peru, introducing English to kindergarteners who live in extreme poverty.

v  At age 13, Shannon spent two weeks in San Carlos, Costa Rica, teaching conversational English to elementary school children.

v  At age 15, Shannon and her family traveled to East Africa where she started the SHARE program as her Gold Award final project.

Shannon is a three-season athlete, running cross-country, winter track, and spring track during the school year.  She is also an active member in “Destination ImagiNation”, an international problem solving program.  Her DI team has won several State and Global awards.  Shannon plays the alto saxophone in the school band, and is an honor student.